So I just called the admissions office (I was going to ask whether/when we should expect decision letters [and perhaps try to sneak my decision out of them ]), but it went to voicemail and they close in 14 minutes....

vegenator wrote:So I just called the admissions office (I was going to ask whether/when we should expect decision letters [and perhaps try to sneak my decision out of them ]), but it went to voicemail and they close in 14 minutes....

Perhaps tomorrow we'll know?

Our Thanksgiving break starts tomorrow, so I don't know if the admissions people are working. Hope you all receive favorable news.

For those with "Decision Rendered" on our status checkers, should we be expecting the news to come by mail? If the office is closed for T-Giving, I'm assuming there won't be an email or phone call coming, right?

Keats wrote:For those with "Decision Rendered" on our status checkers, should we be expecting the news to come by mail? If the office is closed for T-Giving, I'm assuming there won't be an email or phone call coming, right?

I just got my acceptance letter in the mail today (dated 11/22, which is the date my decision was rendered according to my status checker). I'm in MN, so those of you further from Iowa might get some nice letters in the mail tomorrow.

From the letter it sounds like scholarships are awarded later in the cycle. It says: "A seperate application for fellowships and scholarships is not required. All students admitted to the College of Law are automatically considered for merit scholarships and fellowships. Students who have submitted th FAFSA are also automatically considered for need-based shcolarships and fellowships."

Keats wrote:For those with "Decision Rendered" on our status checkers, should we be expecting the news to come by mail? If the office is closed for T-Giving, I'm assuming there won't be an email or phone call coming, right?

I just got my acceptance letter in the mail today (dated 11/22, which is the date my decision was rendered according to my status checker). I'm in MN, so those of you further from Iowa might get some nice letters in the mail tomorrow.

From the letter it sounds like scholarships are awarded later in the cycle. It says: "A seperate application for fellowships and scholarships is not required. All students admitted to the College of Law are automatically considered for merit scholarships and fellowships. Students who have submitted th FAFSA are also automatically considered for need-based shcolarships and fellowships."

brupe wrote:hey all, i never got a status checker, i just got my ISIS. anybody have a link to the status checker?!

The status checker email I got (containing password and user name) came 10 days after the email containing the ISIS links. You may have to email admissions to obtain your user name and password, but the checker itself is located under the quick links portion on the right hand side of the prospective student page.

JOThompson wrote:I'm a 1L at Iowa now. I'm happy to answer any questions about the admissions process or my experience here. The best advice I can offer is to apply early since Iowa saw a large jump in applications last cycle. People who would've normally gotten in with scholarship money at the beginning of the cycle were rejected or waitlisted after applying a couple or few months later.

Also, the school seemed to be more willing to weigh soft factors than other schools in the T20-T30 range. I know a couple applicants with interesting softs and personal statements who were accepted with scholarships despite being below median LSAT. I know that's anecdotal evidence but take it for what it's worth.

This fact may not be widely advertised, but you can qualify for instate tuition in your second and third years if you work quarter-time as an RA/TA. You're paid about minimum wage and receive subsidized healthcare. The positions seem to be available for nearly everyone interested. So if you're out of state and don't get a scholarship, Iowa still might be a financially attractive option. Good luck.

What's the town like? Can you speak to the QOL you've experienced? Are you from Iowa? If not, where do you hail from? What was the transition like?

TommyK wrote:What's the town like? Can you speak to the QOL you've experienced? Are you from Iowa? If not, where do you hail from? What was the transition like?

Iowa City is a vibrant college town. Plenty of great bars and places to eat. For a town of its size, it offers a lot of amenities. It's also a pretty affordable town to reside in. People are friendly and it's generally been a very low stress place to study and live. I'm from the west coast and was terrified about adjusting to the new atmosphere (I'd wanted a big city school), but it's been great so far. I really couldn't imagine a better environment to be in for three years for me.

TommyK wrote:What's the town like? Can you speak to the QOL you've experienced? Are you from Iowa? If not, where do you hail from? What was the transition like?

Iowa City is a vibrant college town. Plenty of great bars and places to eat. For a town of its size, it offers a lot of amenities. It's also a pretty affordable town to reside in. People are friendly and it's generally been a very low stress place to study and live. I'm from the west coast and was terrified about adjusting to the new atmosphere (I'd wanted a big city school), but it's been great so far. I really couldn't imagine a better environment to be in for three years for me.

Thanks for answering. Iowa is definitely on my list. Do you room with other law students? How much would one pay for rent for a two bedroom / two bathroom place?

I live alone. I didn't want to risk the possibility of a distracting roommate. I spend about $670 including internet and all utilities. I live within short walking distance of law school, I probably could've saved money if I lived further out. Most people who have roommates seem to be paying about ~$500 a person. When I was scoping out the options, I found some 2BRs that were closer to $400 per person. The school has a roommate list that you can take advantage of.

TommyK wrote:What's the town like? Can you speak to the QOL you've experienced? Are you from Iowa? If not, where do you hail from? What was the transition like?

Iowa City is a vibrant college town. Plenty of great bars and places to eat. For a town of its size, it offers a lot of amenities. It's also a pretty affordable town to reside in. People are friendly and it's generally been a very low stress place to study and live. I'm from the west coast and was terrified about adjusting to the new atmosphere (I'd wanted a big city school), but it's been great so far. I really couldn't imagine a better environment to be in for three years for me.

Thanks for answering. Iowa is definitely on my list. Do you room with other law students? How much would one pay for rent for a two bedroom / two bathroom place?

Two bedroom/ two bathroom place would probably be about $750-800 month including utilities. I pay $715 for a two bedroom, which includes water, heat and AC. Once you know you're going to Iowa, don't delay in the housing search. There's a pretty significant undersupply.

Thanks guys. Where else did you guys apply/get admitted? What made you choose Iowa? I feel like I'm derailing this thread into an "Iowa 1L/2L taking questions" thread. Sorry for those who had other intentions for this thread and thanks to you two who are willing to respond.

TommyK wrote:Thanks guys. Where else did you guys apply/get admitted? What made you choose Iowa? I feel like I'm derailing this thread into an "Iowa 1L/2L taking questions" thread. Sorry for those who had other intentions for this thread and thanks to you two who are willing to respond.

I forget where their medians etc. are, but I'm too bitter to look at the moment...I wanted some GOOD news before thanksgiving!

Shit. I dont have a shot at all then! At least I wont get my hopes up

Well that's no fun... What's interesting is that LSN has applicants with similar numbers getting a full scholarship... Guess this cycle is just that much more difficult (or someone on LSN wasn't being very truthful?)

TommyK wrote:Thanks guys. Where else did you guys apply/get admitted? What made you choose Iowa? I feel like I'm derailing this thread into an "Iowa 1L/2L taking questions" thread. Sorry for those who had other intentions for this thread and thanks to you two who are willing to respond.

I applied to tons of schools, got admitted to a reasonable number of them. Some better than Iowa, some worse. I chose Iowa for two reasons: scholarship money and a suspicion that the student body was pretty cool. As it turns out, the people here are amazingly cool. Very little in the way of hardcore competitive, cutthroat bullshit. If you need to copy notes, borrow a book, etc. you'll have no problems. I'd imagine a lot of similarly ranked schools have a comparable ambiance, but for the love of god if law school was as competitive as some people/media make it out to be, it would be fucking horrible.